Wayne Rooney issues fresh claim on stint as Birmingham City manager | OneFootball

Former Birmingham City boss Wayne Rooney has revealed that he asked to change his playing style just two games into his ill-fated tenure at Blues.

Former Birmingham City boss Wayne Rooney has revealed that the club's hierarchy sacked him despite being given assurances he would be able to strengthen his squad in January if he stuck to the playing style that they wanted to see on the pitch.

Rooney was appointed as Birmingham City manager on October 11, 2023, signing a three-and-a-half-year contract in what was his third managerial role following spells at Derby County and DC United.

His arrival came as a surprise to many supporters, with the Blues sitting sixth in the Championship table following back-to-back wins when previous manager John Eustace was dismissed.

At his unveiling, Rooney spoke about implementing a brave style of play, stating: "I want them to be brave. I want them to take risks. They will make mistakes and that is normal in football, but I want them to play forward and get crosses into the box."

The ex-England captain, who was officially sacked on January 2nd after just 15 games in charge, has shared new insights into his brief spell with Blues during which the club plummeted from promotion contenders to relegation candidates.

Rooney reveals management rejected tactical change request at Birmingham City

In an interview with The Overlap, Rooney suggested how his relationship with Birmingham's ownership deteriorated rapidly after he identified problems with implementing their desired style of play.

Rooney said: "When I joined Birmingham, they brought me in and said this is how we want to play.

"So I presented, done the presentation to them and this is how we want to play, this is exactly what they wanted to do to move forward as a team.

"After two games I said to them they can't do it, the players can't do it. I want to adjust and adapt to try and get results, it's what I was saying before, I need to get results the way the game is.

"The message I got was keep doing it and then in January we'll get you players in who can - and I got sacked on January 1st."

This new revelation suggests a disconnect between the plans of Birmingham's American owners, Knighthead Capital Management led by Tom Wagner, and Rooney's thoughts about the squad's capabilities at the time.

Rooney's tactical disagreement suggests he was disconnected from Tom Wagner

The former Manchester United striker endured a nightmare spell at St Andrew's, winning just two of his 15 matches in charge as Birmingham slid toward the relegation zone. The club's owners terminated his contract following a 3-0 defeat to Leeds United on New Year's Day.

The revelation that Rooney identified problems with implementing the desired playing style after just two matches suggests a lack of proper assessment of the squad's capabilities during the managerial change. Despite bringing in experienced coaches including Ashley Cole and John O'Shea to support him, Rooney was unable to make the prescribed system work with the players at his disposal.

Club CEO Garry Cook had previously hinted at ambitions beyond what Eustace was delivering, stating: "We started to look at our own ambition and decide what we wanted to do. Perhaps our ambitions were a little higher."

Those ambitions ultimately led to a failed experiment with Rooney at the helm and a mid-season crisis for the club, who were subsequently relegated when the season finished.

The insistence on maintaining a playing style that Rooney says wasn't suited to the available players, with promises of January reinforcements that he then never got to manage, suggests Wagner and co prioritised long-term vision over short-term results, something that is certainly paying off for them now.

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